Ideas for this septic field....please help

Help! I need ideas.... Help me come up with a good use for this area.

The photo below shows our septic field. Our soils are bad in the NC Triassic basin (only area were we could find land). So we had to use a non-conventional system. This resulted in much higher install cost and larger drainage field (150x40ft?). Our septic repair area would require even more costly system. So I am really freaked out about endangering the current drainage field.

It is very sloped too so cannot use for playing field for kids. I definitely don't want to to be just lawn.

Things I ruled out:
*Orchard mixed with berries: roots may clog pipes
*Run our chicken or rabbit tractors over it- worried about killing off vegetation and increasing nitrogen in area that may be high due to septic already.
*Garden area: Health hazard of crops due to septic. Too far from zone 1 (more neglect and plus deer will wipe anything out).

So guys, please give me some ideas on how I can use this area....
Thanks in advance,
steven

I have a similar area, so I'll be following this.  All the same concerns you have.  Right now I'm leaning towards a native flower area for pollinator but I'm not set on the idea.

Taking into consideration your concerns and then looking at the actual local I would recommend using that space for a wildlife feed plot.
Planting crimson clover, alfalfa, brassicas, vetch, seven top turnip, etc. will give a high quality forage space for deer, turkey, rabbit, quail and most other game animals.
If you also planted some corn, beans and squashes you would have an excellent game animal attractor space which could allow you food as well as simply providing the wild life a wonderful space to use.

Do not plant red clover, it is quite a hazard for large animals like deer since it acts as a poison to them.
Sweet Yellow, Crimson, Dutch White are great clovers to use in a feed plot or a pasture.

As long as you make regular additions of biologicals to your septic system (every other month or even every month) then you will not have to worry about pathogens rising through the system, they will be eaten.
We use "Ridex" along with additions to the leach field of fungi slurries which include oyster mushroom hyphae that feed on some wood chips I've laid down over the entire leach field.


Redhawk

We use our similar area for pasture. Regulate how tall the grasses get by the number of animals you have, and by field rotation. We have La Mancha goats (because they are a rare breed here and give excellent milk) Jacobs sheep (also rare and supply good wool and meat) and we have Jersey milk cows for milk. They all do well in the area. We get some foot prints/divots, but its never been a problem because of slope and drainage.  

Jim Fry wrote:We use our similar area for pasture. Regulate how tall the grasses get by the number of animals you have, and by field rotation. We have La Mancha goats (because they are a rare breed here and give excellent milk) Jacobs sheep (also rare and supply good wool and meat) and we have Jersey milk cows for milk. They all do well in the area. We get some foot prints/divots, but its never been a problem because of slope and drainage.  

Thanks Jim... got a question for you. What type of pasture plants are you growing for your goats? We have a few Nigerian Dwarfs that we could possibly cycle over there. But they are pretty picky eaters, don't care too much for grass. How did you get your La Manchas to forage instead of browse?

I would graze it. keep in mind the affluent from your household is going down and not up due to gravity. I would stay away from alfalfa as a crop of any type however as they put down a 20 foot tap root, and that includes my farm where ledge rock is everywhere. If it can drive its root into cracks in ledge, it will really find those tiny holes in your leach field pipes.

I will say this...holy smolies on size. I complained to the soil engineer on mine and it was 15 foot by 20.

Bryant RedHawk wrote:Taking into consideration your concerns and then looking at the actual local I would recommend using that space for a wildlife feed plot.
Planting crimson clover, alfalfa, brassicas, vetch, seven top turnip, etc. will give a high quality forage space for deer, turkey, rabbit, quail and most other game animals.
If you also planted some corn, beans and squashes you would have an excellent game animal attractor space which could allow you food as well as simply providing the wild life a wonderful space to use.

Do not plant red clover, it is quite a hazard for large animals like deer since it acts as a poison to them.
Sweet Yellow, Crimson, Dutch White are great clovers to use in a feed plot or a pasture.

As long as you make regular additions of biologicals to your septic system (every other month or even every month) then you will not have to worry about pathogens rising through the system, they will be eaten.
We use "Ridex" along with additions to the leach field of fungi slurries which include oyster mushroom hyphae that feed on some wood chips I've laid down over the entire leach field.


Redhawk

Thanks for the details on plants and septic additives. This helps a lot.

Travis Johnson wrote:I would graze it. keep in mind the affluent from your household is going down and not up due to gravity. I would stay away from alfalfa as a crop of any type however as they put down a 20 foot tap root, and that includes my farm where ledge rock is everywhere. If it can drive its root into cracks in ledge, it will really find those tiny holes in your leach field pipes.

I will say this...holy smolies on size. I complained to the soil engineer on mine and it was 15 foot by 20.

They cleared more than just the leech field. But it is very large...I think it has to do with it being a low pressure system and soil type in area.

Mine is a chicken garden I only moved to my place two years ago.  But it had a drainfield failure and add-on drainfield repair before us.  So it's a huge concern for me.

Its planted mostly in cover crop, from a mixed bag locally appropriate from the local co op.  Wheat, clover, vetch; stuff like that.  I agree with the alfalfa warning and I wouldn't do any perennials that have that type of deep roots. I'll do sunflowers, corn, squash, pumpkin for them too as I get around to it; but so far it's just been grasses and legumes to get the soil going.  The 16 birds  get access at about 6 at night and act like they love it then put themselves back in the run when the light gets low.  That's 830 for now and they aren't tearing up a similar sized spot because they don't get to dwell on it long enough.